Beating Early Barbarossa

[Flaviusx]

After noodling around I came up with this idea. Put all the starting armor on the south and lead with it.

Not a complete scheme, I'm in the middle of adding rifle corps to this. All AT rifle corps and new construction. (The trash rifle corps are garrisoned in the rear.) The north is easy and not pictured, I know what to do there. It is slowing down the south that I am struggling with.

It will certainly prevent any mud marches. It might even stifle a clear turn although if the German can penetrate the armor defense at any point it gets sticky.

Comments?

[Flaviusx]

Add about a dozen more rifle corps to the above setup backstopping the armor. Pretty happy with this setup. Even on a clear turn the Germans are not going to go far. If they try to pocket the armor on the bug, they are exposed to counterattacks. I think I'm ready to roll here with this solution to the early Barbarossa.

The north ends up getting all the wartime reserves this way, where those awful rifle armies have swamps to dig in. The south can take care of itself for a while. I probably end up losing most of the armor along the way, but they will buy time.

Up until now I have been keeping the armor in the rear and trying to defend with rifle corps. They don't have the muscle. Better to lose the armor and buy time and rebuild later.

[Flaviusx]

Another thing I've changed: the Soviets are buying and upgrading all the way to the beginning of the war. Nothing is being saved to mass buy rifle armies. Based on prior experience these take a looong time to arrive and it is better to have units in the queue set to arrive.

To the extent mass buys happen it is because of disbands after the war starts of trash rifle corps. These are holding positions in the rear by and large although a few were place forward up north as sacrifices.

You really cannot afford to sit around and bank a bunch of points if the German goes early.

[MagicMissile]

Hello,

Very interesting idea. Absolutely worth trying out [:)].

But I am not sure that you can afford to lose too many arm/mech corps. In my experience they are essential in 42 and you wont have the economy to build many of them during the winter 41/42. I hate to lose them [:)].

Now with this convert corps to armies maybe saving up production to buy armies might not be needed anymore but I have always saved and built armies depending on which version it has been between 7-12 and when they show up that is when the situation stabilises for me because they are actually decent units. I dont know what I would do without them [:)].

/MM

[Flaviusx]

This was before Alvaro's latest round, which does change things up.

I think the Soviets can afford to lose some of this mech; this is all the starting stuff. I figure if you can save maybe 6-7 of them, get them some experience, and then add the Siberian tank corps and some new construction you end up with maybe 10-12 mobile corps in 1942. that's enough.

Now that he's added some terrain features to the map this isn't quite as attractive an idea. Still, it does make the early Barbarossa harder and maybe convinces the German to wait for clear weather.

[MagicMissile]

If it is the decent ones that survive it might be enough [:)].

Anyway nice idea!

/MM

[stjeand]

If I were you I would test with the Germans massing panzers in the north and just going around that line.
The north will be basically a cake walk for them and if they then cut south and take Kiev they could but off the entire army.

But if you can keep that from happening...you will slow them in the south considerably.